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Power BI's native matrix visual meets only basic reporting requirements but often struggles with the complexities of formatted reports (such as financial statements), row and column calculations, column hierarchies, ragged hierarchies, subtotal/total positioning, formatted export to Excel, commenting and more. As a result, users end up relying on third-party custom visuals to meet such needs.
This publication provides a high-level guide comparing the capabilities of two such third party matrix offerings: Inforiver Reporting Matrix and Profitbase Financial Reporting Matrix. Both of these visuals are Microsoft Power BI certified.
We have compared the capabilities of these two products based on these thirteen (13) broad criteria:
A final recommendation is provided at the end.
Note:
The relative capabilities of Profitbase Financial Reporting Matrix and Inforiver Reporting Matrix are summarized in the table below.
| # | Feature/Criteria | Profitbase Financial Reporting Matrix | Inforiver Reporting Matrix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Core Focus & Philosophy | ||||||||
| 1.1 | Primary Focus | Primarily designed for enhancing financial statement reporting (P&L Balance Sheet etc.) within Power BI focusing on improved formatting and calculations. | A comprehensive reporting and analysis solution with no-code Excel-like experience supporting not just financial reporting but also management operational scrorecards variance and paginated reporting with IBCS compliance. Caters to both developers as well as business end users transitioning from Excel to Power BI. | Inforiver (Broader Scope) | ||||
| 1.2 | Target Use Cases | Financial reports (P&L Balance Sheet Cash Flow). | Paginated reports Operational reports Management reports financial statements variance reports and executive scorecards. Special focus on migration use cases from legacy reporting tools to Power BI. | Inforiver (Broader Scope) | ||||
| 2. Formatting & Presentation | ||||||||
| 2.1 | Cell/Row/Column Formatting | Offers good control: specific line formatting applying styles (bold italic color) custom styles alternating rows alignment controls. Configuration via Format Pane and Edit Mode. | Provides extensive Excel-like formatting for individual cells rows and columns (background font borders alignment prefix/suffix). Intuitive configuration via toolbar and context menus. | Inforiver | ||||
| 2.2 | Number Formatting | Allows setting format strings thousand/decimal separators and switching accounting signage (e.g. costs as positive). Some advanced formats (e.g. $000 rounding) might require the premium version or DAX workarounds. | Offers custom separators and dynamic scaling (K M B) cell-level formatting and one-click accounting sign switching. Supports native number formatting done with DAX measures. | Inforiver | ||||
| 2.3 | Conditional Formatting | Provides rule-based conditional formatting with style application. Can be configured via Edit Mode or theme files. Available in the free version. Recent versions added new options. | Offers comprehensive options for conditional formatting: quick rules color scales data bars segmentation Top N rules nested IF conditions IBCS-specific visualization etc. Export to Excel exports with Conditional Formatting. | Inforiver | ||||
| 2.4 | IBCS Compliance | Not IBCS certified. Formatting can approximate IBCS but lacks specific templates. | Officially certified by IBCS. Offers multiple one-click IBCS templates for standardized reporting. | Inforiver | ||||
| 2.5 | Themes/Branding | Supports Power BI themes. Custom styles (custom1-4) can be defined. Theme templates possible via JSON. | Supports implementing organization branding guidelines via Themes add-on. | Both | ||||
| 2.6 | Blended Measure | No such capability documented. | Display two measures in a single cell one normal and one subscript (smaller font / lesser emphasis). Supports conditional formatting for both measures with colors/icons. | Inforiver | ||||
| 2.7 | Top N + Others | No specific built-in Top N + Others filtering feature mentioned in the documentation snippets. Filtering top performers would likely rely on upstream DAX measures or standard Power BI slicers. | Explicitly supports no-code "Top/Bottom N + others" feature. This can also be controlled via scripting functions. Conditional formatting can also highlight Top/Bottom N without filtering. | Inforiver | ||||
| 3. Calculation Capabilities | ||||||||
| 3.1 | In-Visual Formulas | Allows adding custom rows (subtotals) and columns with calculations referencing other rows/cells using an Excel-like syntax. Supports adding custom measures and offset functions within the visual. Can override default column calculations. | Features a powerful Excel-like formula engine with 70+ built-in functions (math logical text financial statistical). Supports global/local variables and easy insertion of calculated rows/columns. | Inforiver | ||||
| 3.2 | DAX Integration | Uses DAX measures from the Power BI model as base values. Visual-level calculations supplement DAX. | Leverages DAX measures from the Power BI model. Explicitly supports Power BI Calculation Groups and Field Parameters. Visual-level formulas add another layer. | Inforiver (explicit support for Calc Groups) | ||||
| 3.3 | Totals & Subtotals | Allows adding custom subtotal rows via Edit Mode. Users can select the calculation method and designate which columns display totals. | Offers dedicated totals/subtotals configuration in Edit and Reading view. Noted for flexible placement of totals and subtotals similar to PivotTables allowing easy positioning where needed. Offers split subtotals - a paragraph style configuration for accounting-style subtotals. | Inforiver (Flexibility) | ||||
| 3.4 | Custom Aggregations | Allows selecting calculation method (e.g. sum average) for totals/subtotals. Supports custom rows with formulas. Can override default column calculations. | Offers multiple aggregation types for row/column subtotals: Native (Power BI) None (Blnak) Sum Min Max Average (Children/Leaf) Weighted Average Std Dev First Last. | Inforiver | ||||
| 3.5 | Accounting Statement Rounded Aggregation | No such capability documented. | Supports 'Visible Rounding' aggregation type that calculates aggregation AFTER rounding individual values (so that individual values visually add up to the total). E.g. 1.6 + 1.6 = 2+2 = 4 (and not 3). | Inforiver | ||||
| 3.6 | Variables | No mention found of user-defined variables for use within visual calculations. | Supports global (defined once – used everywhere) and local variables (scope limited to the script) in its formula engine. | Inforiver | ||||
| 4. Hierarchy Management | ||||||||
| 4.1 | Expand/Collapse | Supports expand/collapse for rows and columns. Ctrl+click expands/collapses all on same level. | Supports expand/collapse for row and column hierarchies. Keyboard shortcuts available (Alt + ←/→). | Both (Inforiver has more shortcuts) | ||||
| 4.2 | Layouts | Offers specific layout controls: stepped layout toggle place measures in rows. | Emphasizes dynamic flexibility with various Excel-like table layouts. Supports nesting measures above columns. | Inforiver (Dynamic Flexibility) | ||||
| 4.3 | Row and Column grouping (Nested/ Hierarchical) | No explicit feature found for creating new arbitrary visual groups beyond the existing hierarchy structure. | Allows custom grouping of rows and columns to create visual hierarchies in the matrix. Often used in financial reports and statements where there are several levels of grouped column headers. | Inforiver | ||||
| 4.4 | Ragged Hierarchy Handling | Premium feature. Offers specific options (Hide children matching parent names Hide blank) to handle common padding methods. Improved expansion logic. | Handled via "Ragged hierarchy" toggle in Display Settings. Linked with Suppress Zero and Native Totals settings. Hides blank rows/columns in uneven hierarchies. | Both | ||||
| 4.5 | Measure Placement | Explicit options: Default Above Columns In rows. Changing placement isolates applied steps. | Supports placing measures above columns (Nest measures above categories in columns) and in rows. | Both | ||||
| 5. Visualization | ||||||||
| 5.1 | In-Cell Charts | Does not appear to offer built-in in-cell charting. | Offers over 50 types of in-cell charts (sparklines bars bullets horizontal P&L style waterfalls etc.) variance pins bullet charts inside matrix cells with a single click. Extremely helpful for quickly making sense of tabular data. | Inforiver | ||||
| 6. Advanced Functionality | ||||||||
| 6.1 | Data Input/Editing | No built-in data input or editing capabilities in the reporting visual. | Allows direct editing of data in existing cells and inserting new rows/columns designed for user data input. | Inforiver | ||||
| 6.2 | Basic Forecasting/ Simulation | No built-in forecasting or simulation features. | Supports creating forecasting/budgeting templates forecasting (from blank or history) allocations and what-if simulations via sliders. | Inforiver | ||||
| 6.3 | Annotations/ Comments | Offers basic commenting feature. | Supports adding notes footnotes and annotations at cell row column and report levels. Enables conversations with mentions tasks and notifications using Comments add-on. | Inforiver (comprehensive) | ||||
| 6.4 | Snapshots | No built-in capability. | Creating periodic snapshots possible via Snapshots add-on. | Inforiver | ||||
| 6.5 | Scheduling/ Bursting | No built-in capability. | Schedule/Burst reports with Scheduler add-on. | Inforiver | ||||
| 6.6 | Scripting | No mention found of scripting capabilities other than calculations. | In addition to formula & calculations offers a range of scripting functions for actions like showing or hiding columns filtering data for a particular period or setting a layout. Supports on-load event scripting. | Inforiver | ||||
| 7. Data Interaction & Manipulation | ||||||||
| 7.1 | Data Explorer | No specific data exploration capability mentioned. | Features a KPI Explorer for quick data exploration. Supports filtering rows columns measures sorting and highlighting hierarchies. | Inforiver | ||||
| 7.2 | Search & Filtering | Supports standard Power BI cross-filtering. Filtering can impact custom row visibility. No specific in-visual search mentioned. | Supports standard Power BI cross-filtering. Offers built-in search & filter capabilities including nested/Top N filtering. KPI Explorer provides advanced filtering. Scripting allows filter setting. | Inforiver | ||||
| 7.3 | Context-aware filtering (using external filters) | No such feature documented. | Offers an explicit Filter Context feature designed to make internal elements like notes comments and data input values dynamically aware of external filter/slicer selections ensuring they remain relevant. | Inforiver | ||||
| 7.4 | Row Sorting & Reordering | Relies on Power BI data model sorting (e.g. using a hidden column). No mention of manual row reordering within the visual. | Supports sorting rows. Allows reordering rows using click-and-drag. | Inforiver | ||||
| 8. Table Structure & Handling | ||||||||
| 8.1 | Wide Tables (100+ columns) | No specific mention of optimized support for large number of columns. | Supports wide tables with up to 1000 columns. The number of required columns can be adjusted for performance reasons as well (Wide Table vs Long Table needs). | Inforiver | ||||
| 8.2 | Row/Column Pinning (Freeze Panes) | AppSource mentions Sticky column and row headers. Not clear whether this is available for non-header rows or columns. | Supported via "Pin Column" and "Pin Row" features configured via grippers. You can freeze up to 4 different columns unlike in Excel where you can only do one column at a time. Specific Freeze grand total row option is available. | Inforiver | ||||
| 8.3 | Pagination | No mention found of built-in pagination features for navigating large tables within the visual. | Supports pagination with First-Previous-Next-Last navigation and custom page / row / column / section breaks. | Inforiver | ||||
| 8.4 | Hide Empty Rows/Columns | Premium feature Hide empty rows targets hiding data rows while preserving structure/subtotals. Conditional hiding possible. Hide empty columns listed. | General hide/show for any element. Automatic hiding of empty rows/columns linked to Ragged Hierarchy/Suppress Zero settings. | Both | ||||
| 9. Export Capabilities | ||||||||
| 9.1 | Export to Excel | Supports basic export to Excel. Formatting fidelity less emphasized. Recent fixes for hierarchy issues. | Offers highly formatted WYSIWYG export to Excel preserving styles notes and conditional formatting. Supports multi-sheet paginated export and retains expand/collapse. | Inforiver | ||||
| 9.2 | Export to PDF | Possible but may require using the AppSource version and manual license key entry.2 Formatting fidelity less emphasized. | Offers highly formatted WYSIWYG export to PDF preserving styles, notes, charts. Supports pagination custom page breaks advanced headers/footers. JSON-driven for higher fidelity. | Inforiver | ||||
| 10. Integration & Performance | ||||||||
| 10.1 | Power BI Integration | Tightly integrated available via AppSource or GitHub (for latest versions). | Tightly integrated available via AppSource file import or Organizational Custom Visuals. Supports Calculation Groups. | Both | ||||
| 10.2 | Security (Core Reporting) | Microsoft Certified. Emphasizes security runs in isolated sandbox no external calls data pushed to visual minimal third-party libraries. | Reporting Matrix is Microsoft Certified. Data retained within visual/report not transferred externally. | Both | ||||
| 10.3 | Large Datasets / Performance | User reports3,4 indicate potential performance challenges with large/deep hierarchies; only or 3000 rows supported out of 30k allowed for custom visuals. Note: Data is from 2020 and may have changed since. | Inforiver has a dedicated performance mode option that users can turn on for larger data sets. This is typically recommended for data sets above 100000 rows. Certain features like aggregations are turned off. | Inforiver (Performance Mode) | ||||
| 10.4 | Optimizing performance through Fetch more API | Not mentioned. | Allows manually specifying a lower column count to optimize the number of rows fetched per API call thereby improving performance. Ideal for tables with far less than 60 columns. | Inforiver | ||||
| 10.5 | Canvas Rendering for Scrolling Performance | No specific canvas rendering options documented. | Offers canvas rendering option (turned on by default) for faster horizontal and vertical scrolls. | Inforiver | ||||
| 10.6 | Data Point Limits | Max 30000 data points (Power BI limit). No other explicit limits documented. | Supports 300,000 cells (10x) easily which is far more than any other third party visual in Power BI. Demonstrated support for up to 1 million cells subject to sufficient PC memory and Power BI capacity. | Inforiver | ||||
| 11. User Experience | ||||||||
| 11.1 | UI/UX | Uses standard Power BI Fields/Format panes plus a dedicated Edit mode for certain actions. Some users report maintenance challenges (e.g. rebuilding formatting). | Employs an application-like interface with an advanced toolbar and extensive context menus (right-click). Often described as intuitive and Excel-like. | Inforiver | ||||
| 11.2 | Ease of Use / Learning Curve | Generally straightforward for basic financial formatting. Mixed user experiences reported regarding maintenance/bugs. | Widely considered easy to learn especially for Excel users due to its no-code approach and familiar paradigms. | Inforiver | ||||
| 11.3 | Excel-like keyboard Shortcuts | Minimal documented shortcuts (Ctrl + click for expand/collapse all). No extensive list found. | Extensive list of documented Excel-like shortcuts covering navigation selection formatting layout templates analysis calculations actions. | Inforiver | ||||
| 11.4 | Context Menus (Right-Click/Grippers) | Uses right-click menus extensively in Edit Mode for configuration (add subtotals conditional formatting hide rows set expansion permissions etc.). | Uses hover-activated row and column grippers for context menus (pinning freezing inserting rows hiding etc.). Menus are context-aware based on selection of rows/columns/values. | Inforiver (More fluid interaction model) | ||||
| 11.5 | Dynamic Measure Headers | No specific feature found for dynamically changing column headers based on data or formulas. Allows styling headers and adding custom columns with defined headers. | Provides Dynamic Measure Headers based on context for values chosen (e.g. Sales for current month automatically displayed as Sales for June or Sales for July based on month context.) | Inforiver | ||||
| 12. Pricing & Licensing | ||||||||
| 12.1 | Pricing | 5 users: EUR 4.9 20 users: EUR 4 100 users: EUR 3.2 | 5 users: USD 5 20 users: USD 4 100 users: USD 3 1000 users: USD 2.40 Add-ons (Scheduler Snapshots Comments Themes) available at additional cost. The add-ons optimize costs for you if you only need these capabilities instead of the more exhaustive ones offered by Writeback Matrix. | Inforiver (slight advantage due to USD vs. EUR) | ||||
| 12.2 | Licensing Structure | Named user licenses (creator/viewer). Enterprise licenses available via direct contact. | Named user licenses (creator/viewer). Domain-wide (unlimited users) embedded and report server plans available. | Inforiver (offers domain-wide license) | ||||
| 12.3 | License Management Approach | AppSource licensing (Microsoft Admin Portal). Direct purchase with manual license key entry (Format pane) especially for Embedded/Enterprise. | AppSource licensing (Microsoft Admin Portal). Direct purchase/trial provides .pbiviz with embedded key. Dedicated Inforiver Customer Portal for non-AppSource license/build management. Supports Org Custom Visual (OCV) deployment. | Inforiver (Robust non-AppSource portal) | ||||
| 13. Support & Documentation | ||||||||
| 13.1 | Documentation Quality & Accessibility | Provides documentation via official site (docs.profitbase.com) and GitHub Wiki. Includes guides feature explanations security info videos. | Offers extensive documentation via a dedicated portal structured as a self-paced training guide and quick reference. Includes videos blogs webinars demos. | Inforiver | ||||
| 13.2 | Support Channels & Tiers | Free users: Primarily via public GitHub Issues board. Premium users: Direct support via email or interactive meetings. | Basic: Free/trial users via Inforiver Community forum. Standard: Included with paid subscriptions (community and direct contact). Enterprise: Paid add-on with defined SLAs for faster response times. | Inforiver (Formal Structure/SLAs) | ||||
| 13.3 | Community Resources & Activity | Active community centered around its GitHub repository (Issues Discussions Releases). | Active community via its own dedicated forum plus engagement through blogs webinars videos social media. | Both (Different Platforms) | ||||
Overall, while the pricing of both products are comparable, Inforiver Reporting Matrix excels in several areas when compared to Profitbase Financial Reporting Matrix as outlined below.
As a result, we recommend Inforiver Reporting Matrix for your tabular/matrix reporting needs.
Inforiver helps enterprises consolidate planning, reporting & analytics on a single platform (Power BI). The no-code, self-service award-winning platform has been recognized as the industry’s best and is adopted by many Fortune 100 firms.
Inforiver is a product of Lumel, the #1 Power BI AppSource Partner. The firm serves over 3,000 customers worldwide through its portfolio of products offered under the brands Inforiver, EDITable, ValQ, and xViz.